£5m bill to shut Edale House mental health unit

Health bosses say that closing a mental health unit will cost them £5m.

Manchester mental health trust chiefs spoke out to refute accusations they were shutting Edale House to save costs.

The centre, near Oxford Road, provides care for up 82 patients with conditions including dementia and bipolar disorder.

It is expected to close next year, when services will move to Park House at North Manchester General in Crumpsall.

The decision by Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust has been slammed by campaigners and Manchester Central MP Tony Lloyd, who say patients will have to travel further.

But trust bosses told the M.E.N. they had hoped to stay at the purpose-built city centre site – but there was not enough room to expand to cater for an anticipated increase in patients.

Sean Lennon, the trust’s medical director, explained they would spend £4.8m on a refurbishment of Park House.

He said: “We don’t have any space to expand, or even develop gardens.

“We looked at all the options and found that the Edale site was working less well than Park House and another at Wythenshawe.

“We are spending a lot of money on Park House. We think the refurbished building will improve care.

“We will bring old wards back into use and we won’t lose any beds.”

No patients would be moved across until the work has been completed next year, he added.

The trust is also in talks with transport chiefs to introduce a new direct bus service from Oxford Road to Crumpsall.

Mr Lennon said: “It’s not true to say that everyone will have to travel further – at the moment you only have a 50 per cent chance of being admitted to Edale.”

But he added: “We accept something needs to be done to improve transport links.”

Comments Made in the Manchester Evening News on the 4th Oct, 2011 by Coun Murthy Walley Range :-

mary murphy (04/10/2011 at 07:23)

Coun Mary Murthy Stays True To Her Opinions

This decision was made to allow the further development of the new hospital. The Edale Unit was purpose built at great cost less than 6yrs ago. The Trusts consultation was very poor and pressure to extend and broaden the consultation was hard fought for by members of last years Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
This move wlil weaken Mental Health Serviices for people in Cental Manchester. I continue to oppose it.

Our Aims: About Us

To support users and ex-users of psychiatric services in the Manchester area. The organisation provides a forum for services users to have a bona fide say in planning and provision of mental health services.

Protesters in King’s Lynn fight against mental health service cuts

Protesters took to the streets of King’s Lynn to voice their anger at what they described as “continuous” cutbacks to mental health services in west Norfolk.

Mental health cuts protest

A protest march against cuts to mental health services and the Fermoy Unit at the QEH took place in King's Lynn town centre. Picture: Matthew Usher.

More than 100 campaigners marched from The Walks through the town centre before finishing outside the Majestic Cinema.

Peter Smith, former parliamentary candidate for south-west Norfolk said: “We are in the fight of our lives here.”

The protest was triggered by the Fermoy Unit, an in-patient NHS facility in Lynn for mental health, which campaigners say faces an uncertain future. The unit was briefly closed to new admissions earlier this month, but reopened last week, albeit with fewer beds.

Mr Smith said: “In my lifetime we have never had to fight like this, but what is the alternative?”

But Debbie White, director of operations for Norfolk at the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust, said there were now no plans to axe the Fermoy Unit.

She added: “It is right that mental health services should be valued and funded on the same level as acute health services, and it is understandable people feel passionate about the Fermoy Unit remaining open.”

Labour party activist Jo Rust insisted the issue would not disappear. She said: “They have been talking about closing it for a long time. We will fight and we will not let them do that.”

Beth Anthony, 18 of Dersingham, said: “We are here to protest against the continuous cuts to the mental health service, we think it’s unacceptable. My younger brother suffers from poor mental health and has to travel to London... That is to the detriment of my family because we have to pay for him to go down by train every single month.”